These were some thoughts of mine a couple of years ago on Christmas Day, as I spent it without my two beautiful daughters while they were at their dads.

Normal…this word has been going through my mind quite frequently the last few weeks. A normal daily routine, the normal Christmas traditions, normal gifts unwrapped (you know the PJs and socks everyone receives☺), the normal carols crooning softly over the radio, normal (or not so normal) family spending time together…these are a few of the normals that have been on my mind- some of which have eluded me this year. Because of health reasons, I found myself experiencing this year’s Christmas holiday from a very different perspective. I wasn’t able to participate in many of my “normal” holiday events and shopping that usually crowd my schedule. Our family gathered earlier this fall so Christmas was going to be a small quiet affair, and as it approached I found myself begrudgingly saying “This is not normal.”

Abnormal circumstances that cross my path can sometimes take time adjusting to; however a scripture came to my mind today as I was washing my abnormally small pile of dishes. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick” Mark 2:17. I may be taking this out of context a little, but the way it came to me was: They that are “normal” have no need of the physician, but they that are “abnormal”. It is so easy to sail along in the normalcy of life and not fully depend on my Savior, but it is when I face the abnormalities of life that I humbly realize how much I have to have Him to survive. And isn’t that why He came? To give us strength for the changes, hope through the uncertainty, and bring healing from the messes. If this Christmas is a “normal” one for you and yours, take time to cherish each moment and thank God for His many blessings! If this season is holding some abnormalities for you, smile, and be blessed, knowing, Christ came for this. He came for the lonely, hurting, the sick and brokenhearted...the abnormal... and through it all He gives LIFE, more abundantly, way beyond…normal! Christmas Blessings to each one!